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The Spurs dispensed with The Heat handily in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But that was merely a sidebar to the heat, aka the malfunctioned central air conditioning system at the AT&T Center in San Antonio that caused LeBron James to cramp up. James felt so bad he asked to leave the game during the critical fourth quarter. Not everyone was sympathetic. Gatorade, which has no sponsorship ties to James, tweeted the following in response to a message: ''We were waiting on the sidelines, but he prefers to drink something else.''

Fans quickly slammed Gatorade for the inappropriate tweet, leading the sports drink brand to apologize on Friday.

Is real time marketing over social media worth it, especially with so many instances of faux pas, and then the inevitable retraction and apologies. Is the instantaneity afforded by social media engagement and marketing worth the damage control?